


look on the bright side

by neogotmyheart



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Mostly Fluff, Princes & Princesses, Slow Burn, bodyguard lee jeno, bodyguard ten, typical teenage antics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-10 20:49:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15957263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neogotmyheart/pseuds/neogotmyheart
Summary: Emily and Jaemin's countries decide to end years of tension with the marriage of the two countries. However, problems arise when they decide to do so with actual marriage between the heirs to the throne. Will the two be able to get out of the contract their parents made?





	1. i

Jaemin woke up to the sun shining in his eyes. He rolled to turn away before remembering what day it was. The neighboring country’s royals were coming to discuss the marrying of the two countries to end the two decades of tension. It just so happened that they wanted to do such with legitimate marriage. They had a daughter that was supposed to be given  to him as a peace treaty. The whole sentiment felt rather medieval.

He was honestly pretty opposed to the idea. His parents presented the marriage in a way that was hard to argue against. “It’s for the sake of the country and our people, Jaemin.” He rolled his eyes at the memory. He was actually being guilted into a marriage with someone he has never even met.

Though he didn’t like to admit it to anyone but his best friend that doubled as his personal guard, Jaemin was fairly romantic. He dreamed of meeting a girl on the street and having some sort of love at first sight experience. Having an absolute fairy tale of a relationship and getting married whenever he was ready. He felt like he was being pawned off and it wasn’t exactly the picturesque love affair he had wanted.

Someone interrupted his train of thought with a knock on the door. His guard poked his head around the door and smiled. “Morning, Jaems.” Jaemin had always hated the formalities. It felt ridiculous to have people his age and even people older than him to call him sire or prince. He usually asked them not to. Jeno was just the only one that actually listened.

“Hey, Jeno.”

“You just  _ super  _ excited about the meeting today?” Jeno teased. He knew he wasn’t looking forward today and continually to make light of the situation. “I looked her up and she’s really pretty.”

“Dude…” Jaemin sighed before rolling out of bed and making his way to his bathroom.

Jeno talked while Jaemin brushed his teeth. “Look, I’m just saying it could be worse. She could look like a toad. Then you would be forced to marry her when you could have done better.”

Jaemin gave him an annoyed side glance. When he finished, he finally spoke up. “I don’t care what she looks like. The point is  _ I don’t know her. _ ”

Jeno looked apologetic. He knew about Jaemin’s elaborate plan on exactly how he would fall in love and he never made fun of him for it, even if the plan was completely ridiculous. He finished getting ready in quiet. His best friend seemed to be out of ways to comfort him in the moment. 

“I don’t want to go out there yet.” Jaemin sunk to the floor, his back resting on the wall across from his bed. 

Jeno was hanging upside down off the bed, facing him. “Why?”

Jaemin had a few reasons but he only voiced his main concern. “My parents are going to lecture me about making this transition as easy as possible when I haven’t even put up a fight during the entire week that I knew about the arrangement.”

“They’ll probably lecture you about how you’re wearing jeans and a tshirt before they get to anything else.” Jeno got up off the bed and stood up with an outstretched hand, waiting for Jaemin to get up.

Once he had stood up, he took notice to the fact that Jeno’s outfit was not far from his own. “Why can you wear that and I can’t?”

“Because I’m guarding you, not meeting my future wife.” It was a fair point.

They made their way to the common room and Jaemin was instantly met with disapproving glares from his parent’s. His father was dressed in military blues, his jacket decorated in various pins. His mother sat next to him in a beautiful white dress. 

“Jaemin, honey. Why did you think jeans and a slouchy shirt is appropriate attire to form a treaty with Grelain.” His mother gave him a slight frown. 

He  _ was _ the treaty so he felt like he should have the freedom to at least be comfortable. Instead, he nodded and went back to his room to change into the suit the queen had picked out for him. Jeno also took the opportunity to change in his “security suit” that was really just a simple black suit and tie that all the guards wore for formal events.

“Didn’t realize this was such a big deal.” Jeno joked. They both knew the event was formal. Jaemin’s relaxed outfit was just his single form of rebellion and he didn’t even stick to it. He changed almost instantly. “Hey, I know this is really upsetting you. Why don’t you say something.” Jeno spoke softly and stopped, pulling Jaemin’s arm to stop him as well.

Jaemin simply shook his head. “Any form of disagreement will just upset my parents. I don’t have a choice. They keep talking about how this is the only way, even though I know it’s not. It’s just a spectacle for the people. It’s easier for everyone to believe that we’re getting along if we’re connected through marriage. Let’s just get this over with, yeah? I’ll meet her and maybe I’ll enjoy her presence.” He continued walking. He had repressed his frustration with the situation for so long that it was about to spill over. He just had to make it through the day.

He walked back into the room just as his parents were preparing to leave it. Jeno hovered by the door. He was really only needed for moral support. The other guards bordered the room.

His father nodded at him. “Let’s go. They’re here.” His voice was stern, obviously unimpressed with his son for taking so long to prepare for such an important visit. They made their way to the front of the palace and down the steps. Jaemin and his parents lined up preparing to greet their guests. 

When the car pulled up, the king shifted slightly. He was about to be face to face with the man he had fought with throughout his entire reign. Both kings had taken over at young ages. Jaemin’s grandfather had died in battle. Grelain’s past ruler had fallen ill unexpectedly and progressed before they could properly treat it.

Both new rulers were young and immature and Jaemin honestly didn’t even know what began the silent tension besides hurt feelings during a meeting after both of their father’s passings.

Jaemin stood waiting to meet who would soon be his new in laws. The King of Grelain lead followed by his wife and daughter. Jeno wasn’t lying when he said she was really pretty. He gave the warmest smile he could given the circumstances and just hoped that she was moderately pleasant. They each gave their greetings before making their way inside. 

The two families sat on couches facing each other. Grelain’s security lined the wall behind them while Marisul’s own team mirrored the opposing country’s. Jaemin didn’t realize the meeting would be so heavily guarded but he should have assumed considering the state the two countries were in. This was the first time the two families had been in the same room since before he was even born. They made polite conversation and soon The two kings were introducing their children to each other. He still held on to a small bit of hope that once the two families met, they would realize that marriage was an extreme form of a treaty in this day and age. Instead he he was politely nodding at the princess in front of him, whose name he learned was Emily. Unlike Jeno, he did no prior research before the meeting. He was in a state of denial most of the time and putting a name and face to the concept of his future wife just seemed to surreal. But now she was sitting right in front of him and there wasn’t a way to deny the reality of the situation. 

“Now to toast to the marriage of our two countries.” His father smiled and raised his glass.

Emily looked at her own father confused. “What does he mean marriage? We’re not just here for a treaty? We’re merging with them?” Her mother cleared her throat. Jaemin was surprised she spoke up. She wasn’t just interrupting the meeting but interrupting the man her father faced conflict with. What bothered him the most, however, was that it seemed as if she had no clue what was going on. He couldn’t bite his tongue.

“You don’t know, do you?” Her eyes met his, confusion blatantly obvious. His mother gave him a warning pinch before speaking up herself.

“Princess, we decided that the best way to make amends would be through marriage. As a form of a treaty, you and my son will be getting married as a sign that the unease is officially behind us.” She made it sound nonchalant but panic filled the girls eyes. She looked to her own family for explanation.

“Prince Jaemin is a fine young man. We’ve been keeping an eye on his behavior as soon as this idea was even proposed. He is well known in the community for his time with charities. He hasn’t gotten into any trouble nor has he been recognized for anything less than extraordinary. We believe this will be an excellent match.” Her father tried to console her, her discomfort rising.

She shook her head. “This is my life. I’m not a piece of paper to be passed around and signed. There’s other ways to prove that your trials are over. I don’t have to agree to this.” She stood up and briskly made her way out of the room. Jaemin felt the urge to follow and gave in, chasing after her. The last thing he heard was “He’ll make a great husband.” before the door slammed behind him. 

It wasn’t the smartest thing for her to run off in a palace she wasn’t familiar with, but thankfully she hadn’t gotten far enough to be out of his line of sight. She seemed to be making her way to the small sitting area that was just around the corner. They had passed it when they were walking in. Jaemin picked up his pace before catching up to her. “Emily..”

She sat down on the chair closest to them and rested her head in her hands. Jaemin crouched down in front of her. “Emily… Hey.” he didn’t really feel comfortable giving physical comfort just yet so his hand hovered before falling to rest on his knee.

“No formalities? No princess or miss?” She asked, her head still in her hands.

He was a bit taken aback. “Oh. I’m sorry. I can use them. I just hate them. It was wrong of me to assume you did too.”

“No, please don’t use them. I hate them. Everything feels so ingenuine. No one uses my name and I hate it. It was refreshing to finally hear it.” She looked up and met his eyes. “When did your parents tell you about all this?”

“Last week. They told me that it had been a discussion for a few years, though. I was honestly really upset. Felt like my life didn’t mean anything to them.” He told her honestly. He stood up to take the seat next to her.

She let out a small sigh. “I can’t believe they just ambushed me like that. They should have at least told me in the car. They knew if they told me before we got here, I just would have made it extremely difficult to get me here. I probably would have made a scene. But telling me that way feels so wrong.”

“What upset me the most was that it felt like my life was practically being sold off into a marriage for the sake of proving to the people that conflict was over.”   
“Exactly! What did you say when they told you?” She asked.

“Nothing.” Jaemin shrugged. “It wasn’t an argument I could win and I didn’t want to live in a tension filled house.”

Emily’s annoyance was back. “What do you mean you said nothing? You just accepted it?”

“I don’t think ‘accepted it’ is the right wording here.” Jaemin sighed

“But that’s what you did by not saying anything. If we both were openly upset about the situation you really don’t think they would change their minds?” Her voice was rising in volume.

“Can we just look on the bright side? Neither of us are ugly and we’re kinda getting along as of now. It could be worse.”

“I cannot believe you right now. No. We aren’t getting along. I couldn’t get along with someone that’s so much of a pushover that they let their life  _ and someone else’s  _ just be manipulated like this.” She stood up to leave and Jaemin grabbed her arm. 

“Stop and just listen to me, please. I’m not a pushover. I just know that us throwing a fit won’t do anything but make us angry with our parents and with each other. There isn’t a way out of this. I already asked why we can’t just sign a piece of paper saying Grelain and Marisul are buds now.” He tried to speak calmly. The last thing he needed was Emily hating him.

She stared at him for a few seconds before speaking lowly. “I was wrong. You aren’t a pushover. I’m sorry.” Jaemin let out a relieved sigh before she began again. “You’re a coward, and that’s so much worse.” She jerked her wrist out of his grip and made her way back to the room their parents were gathered in.

Jaemin sat in complete shock while Emily walked down the hallway. That went from an almost bonding experience to her being even farther out of reach than she was to begin with. He didn’t know what he expected from the princess, but it wasn’t the feisty personality and fiery tongue that he just experienced. He planned to remain where he was until he had sorted through his thoughts. However, when he heard Emily yell, “I’m not marrying him,” he forced himself to get up and make his way back to the room which surely had a pleasant environment at this point. Once he made his way to the room, he stood still in the doorway. His parents were looking at each other in shock while Grelain’s royals attempted to calm down their now furious daughter. 

“This is the best way to appease the people. Plus, the countries being unified like this will create a better economy. We both have resources the other needs. There’s so many benefits to this.”   
“I don’t understand why you think that the only way to merge countries is to marry your children off. It’s disgusting. This isn’t the 14th century.” She shot back. Her mother’s eyes are filled with panic while her father’s held nothing but frustration.

The man spoke, low and intense. The tone similar to Emily’s when they were out in the hallway. “Emily, listen to me. This is decided. It’s finished. We signed everything while you were out in the hallway. You’re moving into the palace in Marisul. Your security team will be here in a few days with all of your belongings. There will be no further discussion. You can throw a fit all you want, but no one will put up with it.” Her father turned to Jaemin’s. “King Na, it was a pleasure visiting. I’m happy to say that we have put our differences behind us. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be able to stay any longer or my daughter will make sure I don’t leave this building alive.” He stood up and bowed, taking his wife’s hand and leading her towards the entrance. The guards then filed behind them, creating a barrier between the officials and their own daughter. They were turning this castle into a prison and Emily didn’t seem too pleased by the situation. Jaemin couldn’t say he would be thrilled either. 

He felt bad watching her storm out after her parents just to be left on the castle steps alone. She sat down on the steps and watched the car make it’s way off the property, the gate closing behind it. Jaemin stood watching her a long time. He didn’t know if it would be appropriate to approach her considering how their first conversation left off but he would hate to be alone right now if he was in her position. He slowly made his way down the steps and sat next to her. Emily didn’t acknowledge his presence for a good few minutes, so Jaemin sat and said nothing. 

“I don’t want to hate you.” She said quietly. He looked at her surprised. With everything that had happened in the last 30 minutes, it seemed like that was exactly what she wanted.

“Then don’t. I don’t want you to hate me, either. We’ve got our whole lives. I would rather we actually enjoy our presence.”

“See, that’s why I don’t like you. You keep giving up without a fight.” She looked at him and shook her head. “I don’t understand why you’ve known for a week and you haven’t said anything. You didn’t even have my back when I was talking about how this whole arrangement was ridiculous.”

Jaemin hung his head and stared at the space between his shoes. “There wasn’t a lot of space for me to talk. And I haven’t said anything because my parents are very similar to yours. It would have done nothing.”   
“I knew what response I was going to get and I still spoke up, Jaemin. Don’t act like you’re so wise. I know my parents just as well as you know yours. Your complacency is just encouraging their actions.” She stood up and made her way back inside. Emily really didn’t hold back when she was speaking. She was brutally honest in a way that Jaemin wasn’t used to. They have had two conversations and both have ended with her leaving him in complete and utter shock. This was going to be moderately difficult.

He made his way inside to find Jeno. He found him lounging in one of the small sitting rooms, already out of his suit. He looked up from his phone and smiled at his friend. “I like her.”

“She’s mean.” Jaemin sat on the couch next to him. “We’ve talked twice and she has absolutely demolished me with her words both times.”

Jeno just laughed. “She seems like a fighter. It’s interesting. I didn’t expect to see that from a princess. And what did she even say to you?”

“She called me a coward and said that my complacency was encouraging the arrangement.” Jamein leaned back, his head resting on the back of the couch.

Jeno stared at him. “That’s pretty intense seeing as you’ve only known each other for like… an hour.”

“Yeah. I know. That’s what I’m telling you. She’s mean.”

“Do you feel like there was any truth to her words?” He looked at him. 

“That’s what upsets me the most. Everything she said about me was true.”

~~~

The next few days consisted of a lot of attempts at conversation. Every time Jaemin would approach her, the conversation would start off relatively pleasant. He would begin to think he was getting somewhere until she would do what she always did, which was: stare into his soul, reveal his greatest insecurities, and walk away. 

Jaemin never thought of himself as a terrible person. He consistently served in children’s hospitals, fed the homeless, you name it. He never did it because he had to but because he honestly want to. But ever since Emily moved in, he has realized that he had a lot to work on before he could be considered a good person. He had to start by standing up for his future and for Emily’s.

He made his way to the common area and knocked on the door. He never just walked in on his parents without invitation. This time, however, he hoped that the two would turn him away. 

“Come in.” His mother yelled from the other side of the door. He poked his head in and the queen looked up from her book and smiled. “Jaemin, how are you. We haven’t seen you much the past couple of days. How’s Emily doing?”

“Actually, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.” He shuffled his feet. He felt like a child in front of his parents. He had never asked for anything almost his entire life. Now, here he stood, about to ask his parents to break a contract.

“Is everything going okay?” His mother but her book down and now his father was looking at him. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“No. It’s not. I don’t want to marry her and she doesn’t want to marry me. This is the rest of my life. I don’t want to spend it unhappy and I’m sure she doesn’t either.” He felt empowered by the confession and kept going. “Dad, you got to meet mom and fall in love and have the marriage you wanted, but I don’t get that same right? I have to just go along with an arranged marriage and for what? The sake of the economy? To convince the people the war, that wasn’t even a war, is over?” 

His father let out a heavy sigh. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with the princess. You had no issue with this arrangement until she moved in with us. Don’t let other people’s emotions influence you.”

“No I never wanted this. I was never okay with this.” He felt the anger rising up. “I never said anything because I knew my opinion would just be brushed off like it is right now.”

His mother pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jaemin, there isn’t anything else we can do about it now. We signed the contract. Emily is living with us. You’re just going to have to be okay with this. Please leave before you say something you regret.” She picked her book back up, signalling the end of the conversation. Jaemin turned and left the room, his hands balled into fists. He slammed the door behind him before running straight into Emily.

“Hey, are you okay?” She looked concerned, brows furrowed.

He let out a laugh. “I’m not. I’m really not. I don’t want to marry you either, okay? Every time I talk to you, you make me feel like this whole thing was my fault because I didn’t say anything. So I went, and I spoke up. I got the exact reaction I knew I would get. So please, please, stop acting like it’s my fault we have to spend the rest of our lives together.” She stood in shock and he turned and walked away. 

Jaemin felt as if he could explode. All he wanted was for the place he lived in to be tolerable. Now, his parents were frustrated with him, Emily was probably hated him, and it was Jeno’s day off. 

Jaemin turned into his room and shut the door, making his way over to lay on his bed. He shouldn’t have gotten mad at Emily like that and he knew it. She was just as frustrated about the situation as he was except for her position was worse. She was completely alone in a foreign country. Her belongings and security team weren’t even here yet and Jaemin had already made her feel unwelcome. 

By the time he had gotten up and prepared himself for another conversation he didn’t want to have, a knock sounded on his door. He slowly approached the door and opened it to find Emily standing there.

“Hey, can I come in?” Her voice was barely loud enough for Jaemin to hear. He nodded and they walked inside, moving to sit on the bed.

“I was actually gonna come find you.” He said running his hand through his hair.

She shook her head. “And do what? Apologize for what you said? It was true. I keep blaming all of this on you when you’re in the same position I am and it was wrong. I’m sorry. I’m just so frustrated and the people I should be blaming aren’t even here. The stuff I said to you was way worse than the one second that you snapped at me.”

“But you were right. Me not speaking up got us into this and my parents proved it today.”

She looked confused. “What do you mean? I know you said you talked to them but what exactly was said.”

He sighed and recounted the conversation to Emily. He told her how his dad really did believe he was fine and his mother said he should have mentioned it before they signed.

“I’m sure she’s just saying that to make you think it’s your fault and it worked. The way I’ve been treating you didn’t help. They would have gone through this no matter what kind of protest you put up. The way my parents responded was perfect proof. They could have ripped up the contract right there and no one would have had to know. This meeting was kept private from the press. It wouldn’t have been that hard.”

He nodded. “You’re right.” He thought about the past few days. “Wait.”

“What?”

“You said the press didn’t know about this.” He looked at her and she nodded.”If the press doesn’t know then they also don’t know about the peace treaty. If we can get our parents to change their mind before any press releases can come out, we can get rid of the contract. We just have to get everyone on board.”

Emily nodded. “How do you suggest we go about doing that?”

“We need to convince my parents that we’re bad influences on each other. That this relationship would hurt the public’s view of the monarchy.”

They decided to figure out some kind of plan to get both parents to suddenly disapprove of their partnership. It could be hard considering their romance would have a very Romeo and Juilet air to it, drawing the people in. Jaemin already had a leg up with his outburst in the common room. They just needed a few more things to send everyone over the edge.

They shook hands and agreed that they can be friends even if they don’t get married. They don’t have to hate each other. Jaemin thinks that maybe, just maybe, this plan could work out.


	2. ii

After Jaemin and Emily managed to make a truce, they found that they were actually getting along really well. He found her boldness charming and refreshing. His entire life, everyone around him tiptoed due to the fact that he was a prince. Now, this girl he barely knew was telling him nothing but the cold hard truth all the time. They quickly developed a friendship in the few hours that they had been actually getting along.

The princess shared anecdotes from her childhood, mostly about the over protectiveness of her family. Many stories Jaemin could relate to. His only friends were children of elite socialites and nothing ever felt genuine. They were rich but he was royal. All of his friendships felt forced because of his position in the monarch. He consistently had a cloud of loneliness throughout his childhood all because his parents were too protective to send him to public school.

Before long, Jeno was knocking on the door. 

“Hey, have you seen Emily? She’s not- oh. Nevermind.” Jeno gave a small bow to the girl on the bed. 

“Please don’t. You’re probably my age. It feels weird.” Emily waved him off.

Jeno nodded. “Yeah sure thing. You two look cozy considering I heard Jaemin yelling at you in the hallway two hours ago.”

The two were both lying on the bed, but Emily quickly sat up after the bodyguard’s observation. “You were looking for me?”

“Oh! Your security team is here with-“ Before Jeno could even finish, Emily was off the bed and out the door. “all your stuff. Okay. Guess she only cares about the guards.” Jeno ran a hand through his hair. 

“Why does she get a whole team and I just get you?” Jaemin teased. 

Jeno feigned insult. “I’m good enough to be worth three people. Besides, it looked like she only had one anyway. I just don’t know his name so I said team.”

They left the room together to look for Emily and her new guest. By the time the caught up to her, she was running down the steps to greet the man carrying all her possessions. He didn’t look very threatening, but to be fair, Jeno usually didn’t either. The princess and her guard seemed to have a relationship similar to his and Jeno’s. They whispered to each other the entire way up the front steps. The man laughing while Emily tugged on his arm.   
“Hey, where do I put her stuff. Also, I guess I should figure out where my room is too.”    
Jeno stuck out his hand for a handshake. “I’m Jeno, Prince Jaemin’s guard. I can take you.”   
The man accepted the outstretched hand. “Ten.”   
“Is that a codename? We’re gonna be together a lot, you can tell me your real name.”   
“No… That is my name. I’m a personal guard not a secret service agent.  _ You _ don’t have a code name.” Jeno looked extremely caught off guard while Emily just smirked as if this was an expected response.    
“Oh… uh, sorry? I guess?” He grabbed one of the bags Ten was holding while Ten laughed.   
“Chill. I was just teasing. You’ll be fun to mess with.” He elbowed him and made his way inside.

The two heirs to their respective thrones watched their guards stroll inside. Everything still hadn’t sunk in that his parents really would force this relationship, but watching Ten and Jeno carry bags inside and seeing an entire security team grabbing the rest of her belongings was forcing everything to begin sinking in. This plan had to work. They had an unknown amount of time to convince their parents that this marriage would be detrimental to the society’s view of the monarchy and Jaemin still wasn’t sure he could pull it off. Before letting the negative energy take over and put a damper on the new found friendship, he attempted to distract himself. 

“You know,” Jaemin started, “he reminds me of you.”

“Who? Ten?” She turned to him and he nodded. Emily looked intrigued. “How so, Prince Jaemin?” The formalities added a new layer of teasing to the conversation.

“He’s got an attitude and he says what he wants. Just like you, Princess Emily.” He was struggling to repress the smile that was forming. 

She scoffed. “You think  _ I  _ have an attitude?”

“You think you don’t?” Jaemin smiled at her and she laughed. 

“We just started getting along. Don’t make me hate you again.” She made her way inside and Jaemin soon followed after her.

“He does seem cool, though.” He didn’t want Emily to think that the only impression he received was that he had an attitude.

She smirked. “So you think I’m cool too?”

Jaemin stopped walking. “What? I didn’t say that.”   
“But you said he reminded you of me. So if you think he’s cool, you think I’m cool.”

He rubbed his forehead. “You know what? Yeah, whatever, you’re cool. After you stopped yelling at me every conversation we had.”

“Hmm. That’s fair.” She seemed satisfied with the answer and turned to walk towards her room. Her excitement was evident. She had been alone in this castle for three days without anyone. The two had just became friends a couple hours ago. Jaemin tried not to think about how lonely it must have been for her. This castle was almost like a prison.

They walked into her room to find Ten hanging up some of the girl’s clothes.

“Emily, you do this yourself. I’m a guard not a maid. By the way, your mom is sending formal dresses in the next couple of days. I don’t even know what for.”

Emily groaned. “I hate when she does that. I hate the ballgowns she picks. They’re itchy.”

“I think one might be a wedding dress in all honesty...” Ten walked towards a chair in the room and sat down while Emily just stared at him.

“Ten, that’s not funny.” Her unhappiness was evident.

“And I’m not kidding. You knew she would be this way. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, okay? I didn’t mean to kill the mood. Go hang up the ugly grandma clothes that your mother sent so we can just burn them later.” Ten nodded toward the closet.

Emily walked in just to leave again quickly. “Where are my regular clothes.” Jaemin could hear the scratching of the hangers on the bar. “I am never wearing  _ that _ . Ten, there’s a ugly ferret skin from the 50’s in here. What is happening?” She walked over to her bed, climbing in and burying her face in a pillow.

Instead of answering, the guard turned to look at Jaemin. “You know, Prince Jaemin…” An amused look graced his face. “You really aren’t ugly. You’re right. It could be worse.”

Jaemin laughed and took a seat on the bench at the end of her bed. He figured he was referencing his and Emily’s first conversation. “I can’t believe that was what I said while trying to make light of the subject. No wonder she hated me at first.”

“Wait, what are you talking about. I’m talking about How Emily called me after the first night and said at least you were cu-” He was cut off abruptly by a pillow in his face. He grabbed the pillow and tucked it under his arm. “Anyway, I know what you’re talking about now. You mean the disaster of a first conversation you had.”

He tried to ignore what Ten was saying before he got interrupted. “I wouldn’t call it a disaster…”

Emily spoke up but it came out muffled, presumably from her face still being in a pillow. “I would.” He heard rustling behind him and her voice became a lot more clear. “I called you a coward.”

“I was being a coward.”

“Don’t defend me. I was being rude. There’s no excuse.”

“I literally tried to make light of the fact that our parents are selling our lives for some peace treaty by saying that neither of us were ugly.”

Ten chuckled from behind them. “Cute. But can we unpack now. I’m tired and I can’t rest until you’re settled in.” They were surrounded by suitcases and boxes. Her family really had packed up her life and sent it here. Jaemin hoped that his parents wouldn’t have done the same, but with how quickly they signed his life away, he doubted he would have been treated any differently. He texted Jeno and told him to meet him in Emily’s room and they all began working together.

It took hours to get all of the girls stuff unloaded and put into place. Ten didn’t even make it to his room, instead collapsing on the bed with Emily. Jeno was slouched in a chair and Jaemin laid on the bench at the end of Emily’s bed. It was nearing dinner time and the king and queen insisted that they have a formal sit down dinner now that Emily was all moved in. Of course this entailed formal wear which thrilled the two to no end.

“Hey, Emily, I think for tonight’s dinner you should wear that dead animal I saw hanging up in your closet.” Jeno suggested, laughing.

Emily shot him a glare before retorting. “Hey, Jeno, I think I should choke you with it.”

Jaemin heard Ten say “kinky” before Emily literally kicked her guard off the bed and onto the floor. He started laughing as soon as Ten hit the ground and the thud sounded throughout the room.

“On a serious note, are you two beginning your rebellion plan tonight?” Jeno asked.

Ten sat up. “Rebellion plan? Emily you didn’t mention this.”

“Because we just came up with it like 15 minutes before you showed up.” She said before turning to Jeno. “And, no. We don’t really have an honest plan except that we’re going to privately act out and have the royals think we’ll ruin the families’ reputation because we’re bad influences on each other.”

“Do you not think that’ll just create tension again?” Jeno continued. “Just thinking out loud here, but it’ll turn into a blame game right? Like who’s the bad influence. No parent wants to think their kid is the problem.”

Jeno was right. They hadn’t really thought that far into it. This could actually give the two countries something to fight over instead of petty hurt feelings. Jaemin was about to suggest revamping the plan before Emily spoke up.

“No. My parent’s will definitely believe I’m the problem. I’ve snuck out before. I never did anything bad. Like I just left the house because I didn’t want to be there. Now they think I’m a rebellious heathen that wants to bring down the government. It’s dramatic really, but all the blame will go on me no problem.” She shrugged. “I honestly think the whole reason they chose Jaemin to marry me off to is because he’s the continent’s golden boy and they were hoping he would be a good influence.”

He felt bad for her. Jaemin spent a lot of his life within the confines of the property gates, but at least his parents believed in him. They were always quick to compliment him and he genuinely thought he had a positive relationship with them until recently when the arranged marriage agreement surfaced. He couldn’t imagine a silent war within his own house. 

Jeno seemed to be thinking her confession over as well because he spoke again. “You’re okay with taking the blame like that? This could still dissolve the treaty completely. King Na cares a lot about reputation and if joining the countries means having you in the monarchy, he may not agree.” His guard was observant and had also listened to a lot of internal conversations just from Jaemin refusing to go anywhere without him. 

“As much as my dad loves good appearances, he could easily keep the treaty to appease the people. Everyone’s getting tired of trades being restricted for no reason. He’ll continue with the treaty and find a way to keep Emily away from me and out of the limelight as much as possible. No matter what we do, the treaty will stay in place so long as we rebel from inside the walls and nowhere else.” Jaemin sat up and looked at Emily. She seemed to be taking everything okay. He wanted to talk to her privately and make sure she was still okay with the plan but dinner was fast approaching and he needed to get ready in order to avoid disappointed looks from his mother. So instead, he just looked at her and quietly said, “We’ll figure it all out, okay?” He left the room with Jeno in tow. 

He heard Jeno from behind him, “If all else fails, at least you will bond over this and marriage will at least be with someone you can consider a friend.” Jaemin gave a small nod but he silently hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

After getting ready, Jaemin went to meet Emily outside her room. She still hadn’t visited the main dining room unless it was during one of the few days she was alone. He knocked on the door and was greeted a few seconds later. She looked absolutely beautiful and he immediately thought that it would be hard not to just stare at dinner. He cleared his throat. “You ready?”

“I guess so. I just hope they don’t talk about anything wedding or marriage related.” She said. It was the first time she had appeared shy since he met her

“You have high hopes.” He ran his hand through his hair and let out a small laugh before turning and leading her to the dining room. It was unnecessarily large, especially considering only four of them would be having dinner. They could have used the smaller one, but his parents insisted on a formal dinner with formal dining and formal plates and whatever else could be formal. It was apparently the proper way to greet a guest and now that she was all moved in, it would be a perfect time to have such an extravagant meal. They moved to inside the room and found the king at the head. Jaemin chose to sit in front of his mother and Emily sat next to him.

“Princess, how has your stay been? We haven’t gotten a chance to talk since your parents were here.” His mother’s voice was small and polite.

“Please, call me Emily. And it’s been nice. I’ve had a lot of time to think.” He knew she was hinting at all the time she had spent alone but his mother just smiled at her, not picking up the hidden meaning. His mother most likely assumed she thought about the wedding. The last she had seen the girl was her outburst at the meeting for the treaty and now Jaemin and Emily came to dinner together.

His father joined in as well. “I see you feel the same way about formalities as our son. He asks everyone to just call him Jaemin. His mother calls him Nana. I bet you could, too.”  Jaemin choked on his water that he had been sipping.

“She hasn’t called me that in years, dad.” He turned to Emily. “It was just a childhood nickname.”

She smiled. “Cute, Nana.”

His mother interjected. “It’s not that embarrassing. She would have heard it eventually considering she’ll be around us for the rest of her life once you two are married.”

“Wow, okay. First course isn’t even here and we’re already talking about that…” Emily rubbed her forehead and Jaemin reached over to give her free hand a small squeeze before returning his hand to his own lap. His looked up to find his mother staring at the two, smiling.

“Emily, you mother called. She said something about sending a wedding dress, but I said that it may be best if you picked it out yourself. It is your day after all.” The queen waved for the server’s to bring out the first course. Emily visibly tensed. 

Jaemin leaned over and spoke quietly. “Just don’t walk out yet, okay. It’s okay.” 

She nodded and spoke up. “I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t this it’ll be necessary. We won’t be getting married.” She gave a smug smile before beginning to eat. The queen slowly lowered her fork, looking at the girl next the Jaemin before looking at him. He smiled and shrugged and began eating. It was bold and he respected her for it.

“I guess now would not be the time to talk about wedding plans, then.” His mother said. It was extremely passive aggressive and Jaemin felt his smile fall. Emily had started a verbal war.

“It would just be a waste of breath, don’t you think?” She took a bite of her food. Jaemin didn’t want to underestimate the girl but she had no idea who she was up against. In his lifetime, he had lost countless arguments to his calm and collected mother. She had a sentences filled with spite but her face and demeanor would remain unaffected.

His mother folded her hands in her lap and smiled at Emily, while Jaemin held his breath. Her soft, gentle voice somehow managed to boom throughout the enormous room. “You could spit in my face and it wouldn’t change the fact that you will be marrying my son. The contract is signed. You don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to like me. However, it is in your best interest that I like  _ you _ because you will be living under my roof until the day I die. If I were you, I would stop biting the hand that feeds you, my dear.” She picked up her fork and began eating again. Emily sat watching her, obviously not expecting the retort. Nothing more was said on the matter. Jaemin watched the princess, looking for any signs of discomfort. She appeared okay, but he felt like it was safe to assume that there was more going on then she had let on. She had just fought with his mother on their first true interaction. She was beginning to make a poor habit of doing this with people she met. He resisted the urge to reach over and comfort her again. With the current atmosphere, he didn’t want to draw a line in the sand this early.

By the time the final course had come around, some of the tension had eased but no one had spoken. His father finally broke the silence after clearing his throat. “I’m sorry we weren't able chat more, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to get to know you, Emily.”

“The food was wonderful. Thank you. Have a wonderful evening.” She gave a small bow towards the current rulers and left from the table. It wasn’t the best idea to leave before being dismissed but Jaemin assumed she probably had a hard time sitting there for as long as she did.

His dad let out a small laugh when she left the room. “She’s spunky. It’s slightly refreshing. You used to be pretty bold too before we got married.” 

“She isn’t completely insufferable. At least she listens when she’s told to quit.” His mother laughed. It sparked a weird flame in Jaemin’s chest.

“I’m finished, too. Goodnight.” He nodded towards his parents and vacated the room before giving them a chance to respond.

He was hoping Emily made her way to her room but he was a bit fearful to enter. He expected the dinner to go that way but something told him she went in thinking she had the upper hand. He knocked slowly on the door. 

“Go away, unless it’s Ten.” The voice was monotonous.

He rested his head against the door and his hand on the knob. “It’s Jaemin. Can I come in, please?” As soon as he heard a quiet yes, he slowly made his way inside. The girl was curled up with her back against the bed and her head resting on her knees. She looked so small in the middle of the suite. There was so much empty space and she sat in the middle of it all. He made his way over to her and sat next to her, still unsure on where he stood with physical comfort. He didn’t feel close enough to wrap an arm around her, so he sat.

“Are you gonna say anything?” she asked, head still between her knees.

He sighed. “Didn’t know what  _ to _ say. Just figured you wouldn’t want to be alone.”   
“I don’t. I’ve been alone for three days. That’s the last thing I want. But I don’t want to talk bad about your own mother to you.” She raised her head to look at him, turning to rest her cheek on her knee.

“Look. I was expecting everything to happen exactly like it did. I should have told you. I knew that both of you would disagree at some point. Especially when you said you hoped they wouldn’t mentioned the wedding.” He heard her laugh beside him and turned to see her fully lift her head.

“That was wishful thinking, huh?”

“It definitely was. The whole reason you’re living here is because of the marriage.” He lowered his voice slightly. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when my mom said all that. I just didn’t really know what to say.” He was more upset about what was said after Emily left the room, but he wasn’t sure what happened inside him when that was said. He chose to keep quiet about that and told himself it was to spare Emily’s feelings.

She shook her head. “No. We said we would rebel, but I don’t want you ligitimately fighting with your family because of me.”

“Did you start the plan tonight?” He didn’t even think about that when we were talking.

“It didn’t go as planned, but yeah, I tried. I was originally just going to leave the second the wedding was mentioned, but you asked me to stay. So I spoke up instead and now I just feel… discouraged, I guess. Everything seems so much harder now. I don’t think we realized how serious they are about this.” She stood up and made her way to her closet which was basically a separate room entirely.

“I’m not giving up on this.” Jaemin spoke loud enough for her to hear from inside her closet.

She poked her head around the corner. “Oh, me either. We just really have to put something together and it has to be good. I’m gonna ask Ten for help. I would ask Jeno, too.”

He pulled out his phone to text Jeno and quickly remembered the conversation the two had before dinner. “Hey, Emily.”

“Hmm?”

“What if this doesn’t work?” He looked up to find Emily in more casual clothes making her way to bed.

She started removing all the pillows from the mattress. “Then at least we tried our best.” She turned to him to throw one of the decorative pillow at him. “But, don’t think like that. We haven’t even tried anything yet.”

He nodded slowly. “I’m glad you aren’t too upset about dinner.”

“I like to think I can handle a simple fight, Prince Jaemin.” She climbed under the covers and looked at him from where he was still sitting.

“Why does it feel like you just call me that to mock me.”

“Because I do. Now get out. I’m tired. Why does your country have dinner so late?” She turned on her side and watched him get up.

“I don’t know. I hate it too. Goodnight, Emily.” He made his way out of her room, hearing a quiet “goodnight” before closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2 is up a little early. I'm just so excited honestly. I've been working on this for so long so i'm so happy to get to share it yay! hope yall liked this part!


	3. iii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Jaemin start the first step of their rebellion. Jaemin questions his stance in the plans.

Jaemin made his way to his guard’s room. After dinner last night, the two decided to bring in extra help. His mother was very stern, proving that they needed a legitimate plan. They all agreed to meet the afternoon to at least come up with a first step. 

Jeno left his room as soon as Jaemin approached it. “Hey. So we’re scheming today right?”

“Yell it while you’re at it.” Jaemin rolled his eyes but gave his friend a smile.

“Please. Like your parents ever leave their side of this huge mansion. They literally just stay in the siting room that has doors to your mom’s garden.” He started walking. “How did dinner go?”

“Well, Emily fought with my mom before we even finished the first course.”

Jeno grimaced. “That’s not the best start with the soon to be mother in law.”

“That’s pretty much what my mom said. She managed to make the entire room silent until the end of dinner. It was so uncomfortable.”

Jeno looked like he was about to say something until he heard shouting come from Emily’s room. They both looked at each other, confused, before hearing her and Ten’s laugh. They walked in to find Emily standing on the bed and Ten rolling around on the floor. It wasn’t what Jamein was expecting to see, but everything with Emily is never what he expects. 

The girl smiled at them. “Hey guys, just in time.”

“Why do I already want to leave?” Jeno looked at her.

“Don’t.” Ten sat up. “Emily was just making me relive my first couple months as her guard and now I want to curl up and die. It was so embarrassing. Please stay so we can change the subject.”

Emily dropped down to sit on her bed and patted next her, inviting Jaemin to join. “So, I’ve been thinking of a few ideas. Your mom definitely seems way smarter than I originally gave her credit for. We’re gonna have to start small. We can’t go really intense right away or she’ll see straight through it.”

“What are we gonna do then?”

Ten spoke up from his spot on the floor. “We were actually just talking about it. Emily originally pissed off her parents by sneaking out when she was just on the roof. You have a flat spot on your roof that you two could get to from Emily’s balcony. Make your parents think you left when really you’re just sitting outside.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Jaems has never done anything bad in his life so even though this is small, it’ll be a big deal to the Na’s. The queen especially.” Jeno moved to sit in the chair facing Emily’s bed.

Jaemin nodded in agreement. His mother would probably flip if she thought that he had left the property in the middle of the night. His only fear was the potential consequences he and Emily may have to face. “Okay. This isn’t too big of a jump, is it? I have literally never even tried to act out in my life. The one time I did was before you got here. I tried to wear jeans to the formal meeting.”

Emily stared at him blankly. “That’s all you’ve done? Tried to wear jeans to a meeting?”

“He even changed as soon as his mom asked him to. He didn’t even put up a fight.” Jeno chipped in. Jaemin sent him a pleading look.

“You really are a golden boy. I thought maybe you had some secret rebellious side, but no.” She rubbed her forehead. “This might be too big of a jump, but I don’t know how to scale this down anymore. You’re gonna have to start arguing in the week before we do this. You already made a good start by yelling at them when I first got here.”

“We’re waiting a week?” He was confused. They talked about how this was pretty urgent considering they had no idea when and if their parents would announce the marriage of the two countries. Now they’re waiting a week before even taking the first step in the plan.

“I was going to have you sneak out with me tonight but I don’t want this to be obvious. I want them to actually think I’m a bad influence. Put this plan aside. Let’s say I just came to you a day after we first started getting along and told you to sneak out with me. Would you do it?” She asked. She had proven a good point. He had barely ever taken a wrong step in his life and now he’s supposedly sneaking out with a girl he doesn’t even know?

He answered honestly. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“You can’t expect your mom to believe it, then. We have to be realistic.” 

“Where do we come in? We’re gonna be questioned about where you went when we’re supposed to be watching you. I’m not about to get fired.” Jeno was thinking things through once again. He always caught the things Jaemin missed. The last thing he needed was his only friend getting kicked out of his life.

“They’re gonna do it on one of the nights we have off, or at least a night you have off. Emily’s parents don’t think anyone can control her, not even her guard.” Ten sighed. “It’s a little ridiculous. She hasn’t even done anything, much less anything serious.”

Jeno nodded in acknowledgement. “Alright. Well let’s make a game plan then.”

~~~

The week passed by slowly and eventually it was Friday. The tension was heavy due to the fights that Jaemin and Emily kept creating at dinner. Last night, no one spoke at all. Emily left the dining room with a sense of accomplishment, but Jaemin just felt defeated. He no longer felt comfortable in his own home and he felt like he was the one to blame. His mom’s words hung over him despite Emily’s encouragement to brush them off. All he could think about is what would have happened if he would have just said something sooner. Maybe he and Emily could have avoided this whole thing.

He sat across from Emily, having breakfast away from his parents. Jaemin sat stirring his tea absentmindedly, not having touched his food.

“Hey, are you okay?” Emily’s voice was soft and comforting. 

He met her eyes slowly and shrugged. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Well, what’s bothering you?”

He answered with another question. “Do you think my parents hate me?”

Emily frowned, brows furrowed. “No, Jaemin. They don’t hate you.” Sympathy dripped from her voice.

Jaemin nodded.

“Is that really what’s upsetting you? There’s nothing wrong with that I just want to make sure there’s nothing else.”

“I’ve never really fought with my parents before. I’m honestly relatively close to both of them. It kinda sucks not being able to talk to them right now. It just feels like they don’t even want to see me.”

Emily stood up from her chair and walked toward the door leading to one of the patios. This one connected to a simple garden. It was nothing compared to the one his mother was so fond of but Jaemin like it. Felt like maybe that one could be his own garden. “Come with me.”

He followed without a response and they made their way to a bench that was surrounded by tiny white flowers. He sat next to Emily.

They stayed in silence for a bit. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it made Jaemin’s mind race. There was a lot to process from the past couple of weeks. Emily moving in created more stress than he really realized. He opened his mouth to speak, feeling as if he owed the girl an explanation for his lack of communication. Instead, he closed his mouth once again.

“You don’t have to say anything.” Emily whispered. He turned to face her and found that she sat looking into the distance. She looked at peace, although Jaemin was confident that it was just a facade. This situation was about everything except peaceful.

He gave a small nod to signal he had heard and turned back to look at the field that stretched out before them.

Jaemin always wondered how far he could walk before being stopped by a gate. When he was younger, he would pack a lunch and venture out into the small forest behind the place he called home. He would turn around at about noon, suspecting that he had walked miles and miles. He would return tired and worn out from the long journey. He didn’t know how far he really walked. When he would go on these adventures as a kid, Jaemin would often get distracted. He would freely wander in various directions, affecting his original mission of walking in a straight path until the end. He began to wonder if he should try again now that he was older, more aware of the goal. He just wanted to see how much farther he could walk before giving up. 

It raised the thought of whether or not Jaemin wanted to try again just to see how big his property was or just to confirm the fact that he was locked in. Would his parents even notice if he was gone all day? He knew nothing for certain anymore except that he drew a line in the sand. He picked a side and it was Emily’s. Was any of it even worth it? The side he now stood on belonged to a person that he began to see as a friend. She had quickly become someone he was excited to see and hang out with. The only time he dreaded being with her was at dinner. If the plan worked, would he even be allowed to talk to her anymore?

He refrained from glancing at Emily and began to chew at his lip. He wanted to believe that his parents didn’t hate him, but he lacked confidence. He had no idea where he would be standing with anyone after this. It was too late to talk Emily out of the plan and he doubted that she would go along with it. It would just cause a drift between them once again. He didn’t know how to win in this situation. 

Emily interrupted his thoughts. He didn’t realize she had been watching him. His lip had began to bleed from chewing too hard. “I may go inside…” she began to stand up but Jaemin reached out and grabbed her wrist. Shocked by how aggressive the motion was, Emily stilled.

“Sorry… Can you just stay a bit longer. I don’t really want to be alone right now.” He loosened his grip on her wrist, hand falling back to his lap. She nodded and returned to her seat next to him.

“I don’t want to talk if you still want things to be quiet.”

“I really don’t want it to be quiet. I think I’m thinking too much.”

She nodded. “You know, I don’t hate my parents. I just feel like they don’t care about me. So, instead of getting hurt, I just act like I’m unaffected because I don’t like them either.” 

Jaemin turned to look at her, surprised by the sudden confession. All he had heard regarding her parents was that she was glad to be away because they hated her and she hated them.

“That being said, I don’t think your parents hate you, Jaemin. They’re confused as to what to do. I think the plan is already working. I know it’s hard, but my parents have never put that much effort into a conversation with me.” She reached out to squeezed his hand and returned hers back to her lap before he even had a chance to respond. “You’re thinking too much. I know it’s hard, but we should go back inside and at least try to keep ourselves busy until tonight.” She stood and waited for him to follow.

Despite having minimal conversation, Jaemin already felt himself growing closer to her because of this morning. Her attempt to comfort him was appreciated even if he didn’t necessarily show it. He had never been in a position where he was the one that needed to be taken care of. He was consistently throwing himself into service roles and taking care of others. To be vulnerable like he was just now was new for him and it wasn’t something that was comfortable. Emily made it easier somehow.

Jaemin spent the rest of the day reading, attempting to keep his mind on anything but his living situation. Emily was right about him thinking too much. He didn’t want to dwell on the what if’s. They had a good plan in place and he didn’t want to ruin it because of his doubts.

Jeno soon came to knock on his door. Family dinner was cancelled tonight due to the request to have the king and queen make an appearance at some gala. Jaemin usually attended the functions with them, but they requested he stay with Emily. The marriage hadn’t been made public and the royals didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in the palace after such a short time of her being here.

“Hey, are you ready?” Jeno asked. The two had already eaten dinner. It was coming close to the time that his parents would be arriving home. They would most likely check on him to make sure he ate. He and Emily needed to be on the roof around that time. They could come down shortly after, they just had to ensure that they wouldn’t be seen after they came back inside. Jaemin grabbed a blanket and a pillow as well as a few boardgames before heading into Emily’s room.

He found her sitting with her back against the balcony doors, doing something on her phone. She looked at him, a confused look gracing her face. “Um, how long are you planning on being up there?”

He shrugged. “I’ve never been on the roof before. Maybe I’ll like it.”

“Everything is so new and exciting to you. It’s cute.” She stood up and opened the doors. She turned to her left, stepping up onto the railing around the balcony. “I’m going to climb up and then you’re going to hand me all your stuff. Then you climb up okay? Go get me a pillow and blanket while you’re at it.”

“Wow, princess. You’re very demanding.”

She rolled her eyes and held out her hand. He handed her all his things and went to grab some of her own. Once he climbed up with her, they walked to the top of his roof. It had a relatively large flat area with some decorative railing surrounding it. He looked at this very spot from the yard and frequently daydreamed about coming up here. He never figured out how. Of course Emily is here for two weeks and she’s figured it all out.

They laid out their blankets and attempted to get comfortable. He leaned back against the railing and watched as Emily sorted through the board games.

“Why did you bring these?” She held up on of the boxes.

“What do you mean? I thought maybe we could play them. I don’t want to just sit here.” He grabbed one of the boxes from here and opened it, taking out the board.

She watched him. “So, you brought Candy Land?”

“Yep. Now what color do you want? I’m blue so you can’t be that one.”

She looked through the pieces. “Um, red I guess.” She took it and looked up at him, twirling the piece between her fingers. “Why is it so well lit up here?”

“So we can play board games.” Jaemin responded. He was surprised when he heard a laugh come from the girl in front of him. He looked at her raising an eyebrow. She was still smiling, shaking her head while she put her piece on the board and set up the cards.

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll play Candy Land with you, you child.”

So that’s exactly what they did. They only accused each other of cheating approximately 3 times. Jaemin had said something that made them laugh so hard neither could remember what the joke even was when they calmed down again.

They only snapped out of it because they heard a car pull around to the front. Emily reached over and clamped her hand over Jaemin’s mouth. “I think your parents are home” She whispered and took her hand away.

“Okay… but why are we whispering, they can’t see us behind this column thing that does literally nothing.”   
“Your voice will carry regardless of what ridiculous architectural choices the original designer made. I mean seriously, it’s like they made this area for people to sneak out. It was way too easy to get up here. And what’s with the setup of the interior? It’s like two separate mansions got pushed together. I never see your parents except for dinner.”   
“Maybe whoever built it pitied royal children. Thought it would be nice to give them their own place with a nice place to stargaze.”   
“Somehow I doubt that. Not a lot of people feel bad for kids who are born with safety and money guaranteed their whole life.”

They heard the car drive off towards the palace garage. 

“Why didn’t we stargaze?” Emily asked.

He looked at her, brows furrowed. “Is this a date? If so, I missed the memo.”

She hit him with her pillow.

“Alright, geez. I brought the board games so we would have something to do. I’m tired of being in silence. Plus, I don’t know. I don’t get to just hang out with people often. I thought it would be nice to have fun for once.” He moved the pillow behind him and laid down. “It’s your turn by the way.”

She nodded and drew a card. She opened her mouth to speak until Jaemin heard his mom call for Emily. They intentionally left the balcony doors open so they could hear when the queen stopped by. His eyes widened and he met Emily’s gaze. He didn’t think they would be checked on so quickly. He checked his watch to find that it was already one in the morning. Emily told him it wasn’t normal for her to go to Emily’s room at night but they expected a visit if Jaemin’s room would be empty. They both ducked down when Jaemin’s mom walked onto the balcony, scared she would see them. The whole plan would be ruined if he didn’t actually sneak out. It was unlikely that his mom would care that they were on the roof together. In fact, she would probably be thrilled to see them willingly spend time together. It would set them back weeks.

They heard the balcony doors close and he let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. “Those doors don’t lock do they?”

She shook her head. “Not like we could get up to that balcony from the yard anyway. I’ve already looked.” She leaned back against her own pillow.

“What? Trying to sneak out on your own?” He attempted a teasing tone to hide his disappointment. He felt a bit discouraged thinking she was trying to leave without telling anyone.

She looked at him. “No. Sometimes I just like to walk around. I was hoping there was a short cut.”

He thought about it for a bit. “Emily? Do you like it here?”

She sighed. “No. But I don’t like it at home either. Everywhere kind of sucks for me right now. I just want to go home but I can’t. And it’s weird because even though I want to go home, I really don’t want to be there around my parents. I guess I just want to be somewhere else.”

He didn’t say anything, unsure of what to say. He wasn’t expecting her to say that she liked it here, but part of him still wanted that to be her answer. He had grown close to her relatively quick and saw her as a friend. But, as she lay in front of him with the house lights casting down on her face, he thought maybe the way he felt was too strong to be considered friendly. He found that his gaze had drifted to her lips and he forced himself to look away.

He cleared his throat. “Are you hungry?”

“Mmm. I guess so. Why?”

“I’ll cook you something. Grab your stuff.” He needed to get off the roof. Everything was set up too perfectly for him there.

“Wait. Don’t we need to stay up here a little bit longer?” She asked from behind him.   
“What? No.” He gathered up his blankets, encouraging her to follow. “My mom is probably getting ready for bed. She’ll have the guards outside be on the lookout for whenever we get back from wherever she thinks we went. The kitchen is far from their room. I’m not even supposed to touch a single pot or pan so she won’t look for us in there anyway.”

“Are you going to get the chef to make something for us?”   
He laughed. “No. I cook. I’m not supposed to, but in the middle of the night I wake up and teach myself how to. I’ve even helped our chef in the kitchen for dinner. I won’t burn your toast, princess, I promise.” 

They made their way to the edge of the roof. Jaemin stepping down first while Emily handed him all of their stuff. He then helped her get down and they made their way inside. 

“For never sitting on a roof before, how was it?” She asked as she followed him quietly down the hall.

“Honestly, I liked it. Can we do it again?” He turned back to look at her.

She laughed. “Sure. We can do it again.”

They rounded the corner as he quietly opened the kitchen door and turned on the lights. He made his way over to the counters and began rummaging through, looking for a pot. Grabbing noodles from the pantry and milk, butter, and cheese from the fridge, he started to make his favorite mac and cheese.

“So what are you making me, prince?” Emily hopped onto the counter next to him. He was suddenly very aware of her proximity.

“It’s a surprise.”

She looked at him blankly. “A surprise, huh? How many things can you make with those ingredients?”

“Are you mocking my cooking ability?” He raised an eyebrow and began to get everything ready.

“No. I’m very excited for your mac and cheese. I’m sure it’ll be the best I’ve ever had.”   
“Okay. Now I  _ know _ you’re mocking me. Just wait, princess. You’ll see soon enough.” He pointed a spoon at her and continued to cook while she sat watching him.

He pulled a few bowls from above him and served everything up while Emily made her way to sit at the island. “When did you decide you wanted to cook?” She asked after taking a bite.

“Hmm. Probably the first time I woke up and wanted a snack and realized I couldn’t cook. I didn’t want to wake the chef up at 3 am.” 

“This is good by the way. Is this the only thing you know how to cook?” She said chewing.

He smiled to himself. “No, of course not. I can cook lots of things.” He paused. “Would you let me cook for you again?” He felt his throat close up. His tone was a bit too flirty for his taste. Emily didn’t seem to notice.   
“If I wake up in the morning without any stomach problems, sure.” She teased.

He tried to repress a laugh. “You really do have no faith in my abilities.”   
She laughed with him and shrugged but continued to eat. “Do you think it worked?”

“The sneaking out? Yeah probably.” Jaemin rested his forearms on the counter and faced Emily. “What do you wanna say we did?”

“I think just say you were still on the property, we were just walking around outside.”

He nodded. “Is it bad that I’m scared?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s your first time getting in trouble. It’s probably worse since you know it’s coming. This one will be easy because she’ll probably brush it off.”

“What are we doing next?”

“Actually leaving.” Emily said it so nonchalantly it took him a few second to process what she said.

He choked. “Wait, I thought we said we were staying in the grounds?”

“We did. But I don’t know. I kinda wanna go into town. I hate feeling stuck and I can’t go alone. We’ll be smart. Wear hats and glasses and masks. It’s okay.” She pushed her empty bowl away from her, walking over to the sink.

He sat quiet for a minute. He was having more doubts about this plan. “What if we get caught? If we’re seen, it’s all over.”

“You know how many times I’ve snuck out in my own country and never got caught?”

“I thought Ten said you only go to the roof?”

She looked at him. “Jaemin, I wouldn’t tell my security guard I was actually leaving the grounds. Ten loves me and let’s me do whatever, but that’s pushing it. I just tell him I go to the roof and he leaves me alone.”

“So you really do never get caught…”

She smiled “Nope.” Her left hand reached out while her right remained cleaning the dishes. “Hand me your bowl. You cooked. I’ll clean.”

He pushed it towards her reluctantly. “Okay, now I really am scared. God, I feel like such a kid.” He ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t know if this was something he was comfortable with.   
“No, it’s okay. I was worried the first time I snuck out, too. We won’t actually leave for awhile. I’ll tell you before we actually do. I don’t want you to be miserable the whole time.” 

Everything was happening so fast and Jaemin didn’t know if he was ready. Now on top of everything, he was having to deal with feelings possibly developing for Emily. Things were just getting harder. He was going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so first real step of the plan is done!!!!!! excited for everyone to read the next parts!!!!
> 
> tumblr: lovingyong

**Author's Note:**

> here's the first chapter of a fic i've been working on for quite some time now. i hope everyone likes it!!!!!! the next part will be up next week!


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